Supreme Court Nominee Should Reflect and Respect Nation’s Diversity,
Group of Experts Asks President Obama in Open Letter

Washington, D.C., February 18, 2016—A national group of experts focused on building an inclusive society laid out a set of characteristics they are seeking in the next nominee for Supreme Court Justice. The Experts of Color Network calls for a constitutional visionary with a deep appreciation for the nation’s diversity and an understanding of how historical laws, policies and practices have shaped opportunity and adversity today.

“We are at a unique moment in U.S. history, with seismic shifts occurring in demography, technology, culture, and the economy and inequality cutting through all of these trends,” said Maya Rockeymoore, President and CEO of the Center for Global Policy Solutions. “We urge President Obama to nominate someone who can constructively engage our new reality.”

A belief in the concept of universal adult suffrage and in the principle of one person, one vote as the bedrock of our democracy;

A respect for the equality, dignity, and value of all people;

An understanding of and respect for the sovereignty of Native Nations;

A determination to ensure the laws are instituted for the equal benefit, security, and protection of all people; and

An aversion to denying any person or group their civil, human, or political rights based on race, color, creed, ability, gender, sexual identification, or national origin.

“The Supreme Court has a big role in cases pertaining to access to education, voting rights, employment discrimination, immigration, land rights and other issues that have direct and indirect effects on our constituency,” said Rene Bryce-Laporte, Principal of Bryce-Laporte Information & Consulting. “We know from our history that if we don’t actively assert and protect our interests, they will not be properly considered.”

“Our democracy is increasingly pluralistic,” said Jeannette Huezo, Executive Director of United for a Fair Economy. “It is important that members of the Supreme Court understand that in modern American life people think and act in different ways and this diversity of experience and perspective is now a hallmark of our society.”

This letter was generated by members of the Experts of Color Network, which includes over 200 of the nation’s leading Native American, Asian-American, African-American, Latino, and Native Hawaiian experts on housing, jobs, savings and investment to debt, credit, social insurance, and business development. They are scholars, advocates, community practitioners, policy analysts, researchers, private sector leaders, philanthropists, and government officials in the asset-building field.

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The Center for Global Policy Solutions is a 501(c)(3) think tank and action organization that labors in pursuit of a vibrant, diverse, and inclusive world in which everyone has the opportunity to thrive in safe and sustainable environments.